The Dharma Bums

Bookseller Recommendation

“ This book is one of those works where it's even better read aloud, the rhythm of the words lending itself well to the narrative. You feel the rhythm of the train cars that Smith hitches rides on, you feel the pulse of the parties where they drink and discuss philosophy until dawn, and you're struck especially by the poetry, which hits much harder than if you were to read it silently to yourself sitting quietly at home. A romping story about seeking, finding, and then setting out to seek again, the Dharma Bums is a unique look at America during the Beat Era, and a self-portrait of the author who lived it.”

Spenser, Page 1 Books

Jack Kerouac’s classic novel about friendship, the search for meaning, and the allure of nature

First published in 1958, a year after On the Road put the Beat Generation on the map, The Dharma Bums stands as one of Jack Kerouac's most powerful and influential novels. The story focuses on two ebullient young Americans--mountaineer, poet, and Zen Buddhist Japhy Ryder, and Ray Smith, a zestful, innocent writer--whose quest for Truth leads them on a heroic odyssey, from marathon parties and poetry jam sessions in San Francisco's Bohemia to solitude and mountain climbing in the High Sierras.

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